Bioeconomy

Eastern France places the bioeconomy at the centre of its economic development. Thanks to its rich agricultural and forestry land, the region is renowned for its many activities in the production and exploitation of natural resources.

The ambition of Eastern France :

Be a European leader in products and solutions derived from biomass processing

This recognition and ambition go hand in hand with actions and resources.

• Eastern France’s Bioeconomy Priorities
• A territory rich in biomass and supported by a state-of-the-art agri-food sector
• Biorefineries, cornerstones of industrial ecology in Eastern France
• Eastern France, a leader in bioenergy
• Research for the Bioeconomy in Eastern France
• Eastern France at the forefront of innovation in the Bioeconomy

Eastern France’s Bioeconomy Priorities

Eastern France has built a real strategy around the economy of life. This is accompanied by substantial financial resources of around €35 million of aid per year. They cover support for projects falling under the following five main themes:

• supporting sustainable agriculture through biocontrol, biofertilisation and precision farming
• sustainable food through the use of organic ingredients, sustainable packaging and traceability
• support for industrial ecology with the development of regional reference biorefineries
• development of local energy strategies (self-consumption and bioenergy)
• the use of bio-sourced materials with the emergence of new composite materials and the use of wood construction

A web portal dedicated to this strategy has been developed by the Grand Est region:

A territory rich in biomass and supported by a state-of-the-art agri-food sector 

France’s second largest agricultural region, Eastern France exploits its biomass, which is available in abundance in the territory.

• + 50% of the land devoted to agriculture / 3 million hectares cultivated
• Nearly 50 000 farms (~ 10% of French farms)
• No. 1 in France for the production of cereals (1. 37 million ha), oilseed protein crops, vines (48,000 ha), hops and hemp
• 75 000 jobs in agriculture
• Nearly 2 million hectares of forest,
• No. 1 in France for the production of wood pulp and for the paper industry.

Thanks to the excellence of its Industry 5.0 and the historical know-how of its agricultural, forestry and wine producers, Eastern France is internationally renowned in the agri-food sector:

• €10. 4 billion of annual value added
• No. 1 in France for the export of agri-food products (€5. 5 billion trade surplus)
• Nearly 2000 agri-food companies representing ~10% of the national total
• 38 000 jobs in the agri-food sector
• 95% of its white wines classified in PDO (Champagne and Alsace wines)
• There are 10 of the 15 largest French agri-food groups in the region:

Lactalis

(Président)

Tereos

(Béghin-Say)

Terrena

(Tendre et Plus)

Bigard

(Charal)

Sodiaal

(Entremont)

Moët & Chandon

Savencia

(Caprice des dieux)

Soufflet

(Pommes de pain)

Agrial

(Agrilait)

Roquette frères

Convinced by these assets, many foreign companies have already chosen to establish themselves in Eastern France. Today, they strengthen the dynamism and attractiveness of the sector. 6 of the 10 world leaders in the agri-food industry are present in Eastern France

To capitalize on this concentration of expertise and know-how, many of these companies have joined the AGIRA Grand Est association. It pools resources and actions to ensure the competitiveness of its members.

Biorefineries, cornerstones of industrial ecology in Eastern France 

One of the cornerstones of the performance of the bioeconomy sector in Eastern France is the presence of several excellent biorefineries. These are evenly distributed throughout the country.

Biorefineries are industrial facilities that convert crop crops and biomass into biofuel. They produce heat and power as well as value-added chemicals, biomaterials and even food products.

Eastern France, a leader in bioenergy

Eastern France has set itself the goal of producing 100% decarbonised energy by 2050. The development of renewable energies is thus at the heart of its priorities. It is already in the lead in many bioenergy sectors:

• No. 1 in France for the production of biogas and biofuels (15% of national production)
• No. 2 in France for wood energy production (22% of national production)
• No. 2 in France for wind power (22% of national production)
• European Corridor for the Development of Hydrogen Use
• Eastern France is the French centre for the technological development and exploitation of deep geothermal energy (electric and thermal).

Research for the Bioeconomy in Eastern France

Strong support is dedicated to research and innovation around the Bioeconomy in Eastern France. Three competitiveness clusters support the sector:

• Bioeconomy for Change, a global cluster, strengthens the competitiveness and industrialization of companies through innovation.
• Build & Connect, a competitiveness cluster dedicated to the building industry, federates all players in the value chain.
• Materalia, a competitiveness cluster focused on materials for the energy transition.

The global groups present in Eastern France have made the region a major R&D hub.

Eastern France at the forefront of innovation in the Bioeconomy

Eastern France also offers many forms of support for start-ups through its network of start-up incubators. Within this network, the “Quest for Bioeco” incubator is dedicated to supporting bioeconomy startups throughout the region.

From technologies for sustainable agriculture to the various ways of valorizing biomass, more than 28 highly innovative projects are currently being incubated here, including a number of foreign start-ups